Before starting this discussion board you need to watch the movie “Before the Flood” by National Geographic. The movie is at the following link:

https://archive.org/details/youtube-90CkXVF-Q8M

Answer with a brief answer (3 to 5 sentences) for each of the 7 questions given below:

1. How is palm oil production in Indonesia related to the consumption of products in the United States economy, and what do multinational corporations’ bottom line production choices (cited in the movie) have to do with Climate Change?
2. Gidon Eshel (Research Professor and Environmental Physicist at Bard College) reveals how U.S. consumers, as individuals, may instantly reduce their own personal carbon footprint. What is his suggestion? Why would it matter (in measurable impact)?
3. How many giga-factories does Elon Musk (Tesla Founder) believe it would take to power the entire planet’s transportation and electricity needs (replacing 70 percent of carbon emissions with clean technology solutions)? How big is Musk’s solar and storage battery giga-factory, nearing completion this year?
4. Dr. Piers Sellers (Astronaut and Director of Earth Science at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration–NASA) demonstrates a computer graphics simulation of earth systems which utilizes real-time data from 20 orbiting satellites and trend projections. Briefly summarize the findings that Dr. Sellers presents in this movie documentary.
5. What role does a carbon tax (see Chapter 5) play in shifting the United States away from fossil fuels toward more sustainable energy alternatives? Predict the effect of a carbon tax on the price and quantity demanded of carbon-intensive fuels.
6. How is the success of such a tax related to the concept of the price elasticity of demand in Chapter 6?
7. Do you support or oppose the imposition of a carbon tax? Explain you reasoning and reply to at least two other students concerning their reactions to the carbon tax policy.

If the movie link above does not work, or if you need closed captioning (the names above, however, are shown with subtitle in the movie as each authority is introduced), you may have to google: “Before the Flood” movie by National Geographic. If you have a NetFlix account, the movie is available on Netflix. Or, you may rent the movie on-line if you require a closed captioned version. Rubric is provided in Monday Screencasts for week 4 and week 5 covering Chapters 5 and 6. I strongly suggest that students wait until the Monday Screencast rubric provided, on February 3rd, before completing your initial discussion posting.